Skip to content
1840–1928

“I TRAVEL AS A PHANTOM NOW”

Thomas Hardy

I travel as a phantom now, For people do not wish to see In flesh and blood so bare a bough As Nature makes of me.

And thus I visit bodiless Strange gloomy households often at odds, And wonder if Man's consciousness Was a mistake of God's.

And next I meet you, and I pause, And think that if mistake it were, As some have said, O then it was One that I well can bear!

Cookies on Poetry Cove

We use cookies to remember your language preference and — only with your consent — to learn how Poetry Cove is used. You can change your mind any time.
“I TRAVEL AS A PHANTOM NOW” · Thomas Hardy · Poetry Cove